Innovative mobile healthcare for COVID19 and beyond.
ABOUT US
We are Medical College of Wisconsin students mentored by a team of engineers, physicians, scientists, and business experts. We conceptualized 'LifeBus' as part of the 'COVID-19 Design Challenge' hosted by Johns Hopkins (Final presentation video attached below), and participated in the National Science Foundation I-CORP 2020 program to move this forward. We have expanded our project to include broader healthcare deliverables that can fit the individual needs of different communities. We see our work as the starting point for rethinking how we sustainably deliver healthcare while increasing access. We are excited to share our work and designs broadly with anyone interested. Contact us if you want to learn more/ get involved or want to implement some of our designs in your community!
MD/PhD Student at Medical College of Wisconsin. B.S in Biomedical Engineering, UW Madison.
MD/PhD Student at Medical College of Wisconsin. B.S Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University.
OUR INITIAL DESIGNS
OUTDOOR MODEL
This model has higher throughput, its quick and convenient for patients to just walk up to, and has less cleaning needs. This would be beneficial for vaccinations, COVID19 testing, patient education/resource connections, etc.
INDOOR MODEL
This design accommodates for weather needs and incorporates more patient privacy. This model will be useful for more thorough screening and medical workup, as well as sensitive exams.
WHY | WHAT | HOW
As we described in the Johns Hopkins COVID19 Design Challenge final presentation video, our project started in April 2020 as an initiative to help with the COVID19 pandemic. We have vetted our idea since then, and have realized that our solution needs to address long-standing health-access disparities in order to truly fix the problems exacerbated by COVID19.
Thus, we are no longer just a band-aid, but rather a solution to the root cause.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
Thorugh the NSF I-Corps program, we conducted over 50 interviews with community organizations and leaders, hospitals, clinics, transit systems, COVID19 testing committee of wisconsin, public health officials, healthcare providers and students, product design engineers, legal experts, and manufacturers. The graphic summarizes our main takeaways.
ADRESSING THE ISSUES
Our main questions: How did COVID19 impact our community? Why did it disproportionately affect certain populations? What does this highlight about the changes needed in our health systems? Will innovative mobile healthcare address the root problem? Based on the answers, we identified 3 key criteria that our solution needs to meet.
THE ROOT OF OUR SOLUTION:
LONG-TERM CONNECTIVITY
In addition to expanding our point-of-care services beyond COVID19 testing and triage, we realized that connecting people with long-term medical homes is crucial for ensuring that we sustainably improve healthcare access.
FLEXIBILITY OF THE INNOVATION
Any vehicle can be retrofitted based on availability and the needs of the community. This hopefully allows our design to be useful globally.
ONE POTENTIAL PLAN
This is just one potential implementation plan, that can meet the short term needs during COVID19 and Flu season and also provide a long-term, durable, high-quality mobile solution.
CAN IT BE DONE?
We are learning from existing mobile healthcare initiatives, and are speaking with numerous stakeholders and experts to make sure we can predict and overcome as many barriers to implementation as possible.
THE NEXT STEPS
To make this happen, we need to bring together all the moving pieces. Kelli and Gopika and working hard to make that happen. Please reach out if you can provide any support or funds!
We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to our work thus far; it truly takes a village! This project would not be possible without all of your hard work, support, and mentorship!
ADVISORY BOARD
Special thanks to Chelsea Wait, Taylor Williams, Dr. Megan Schultz MD MA, Dr. Michael Decker MD, Dr. Tavidner Ark PhD, Julia Schmidt, and the Kern Institute for all your contributions and continued support for the project.
CONTACT LIFEBUS
Get in touch with us to learn more about our work or partner with us!